RICHMOND – The red hot Earlham College baseball team was stopped in its tracks by Bluffton University in a doubleheader at Sadler Stadium on Friday afternoon.
The Quakers fell to 18-8 (7-3 HCAC) while the Beavers improved to 11-14 (4-4 HCAC).
GAME ONE: EARLHAM 6 BLUFFTON 11
Christian Lancianese knocked a lead-off home run for the Quakers in the opening game of the series.
Cameron McCabe hit another deep shot in the bottom of the second inning.
Nathan Lancianese led the home squad in hits with three and recorded an RBI.
Justin Dillhoff started the game on the mound and tossed four innings with seven recorded strikeouts. The Quakers used four relief pitchers in the final five innings, who recorded two strikeouts and allowed six hits.
After the first inning, the score was tied at one. McCabe's homer put the Quakers on top in the bottom of the second and a sac fly from
Jeordon Kuderer made the score 3-1.
Bluffton scored two runs in the top of the third, followed by a run each in the fourth and fifth.
An RBI single from
Maxwell Fries brought the score to 6-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Beavers added a run in the top of the sixth inning, and pulled away with three runs in the top of the ninth. A ball put in play by
Nathan Lancianese in the bottom of the ninth resulted in two runs scored for the Quakers after an error, but the rally ended there.
GAME TWO: EARLHAM 3 BLUFFTON 9
Aidan Talarek started out on the mound and pitched seven complete innings with 10 recorded strikeouts for his second loss of the season. The senior allowed just seven hits on the afternoon, but three home runs in the opening three innings gave the Beavers the advantage.
Jacob Renner pitched two innings in relief with one strikeout and three hits.
Christian Lancianese scored two hits and one RBI to lead Earlham in the second game of the series.
Phoenix Guzzi also recorded multiple hits and scored the opening run for the Quakers in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Earlham will be back in action next Saturday for a doubleheader with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Sadler Stadium. The Engineers are currently in fourth place in the HCAC standings, one spot behind Earlham, with a record of 5-3 in the conference.